


Dinner with Friends

by WritLarge



Series: Kiss Cam Universe [2]
Category: Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-21
Updated: 2019-04-21
Packaged: 2020-01-23 11:46:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,102
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18549127
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WritLarge/pseuds/WritLarge
Summary: Aster's friends react to the Kiss Cam footage and have a little fun.





	Dinner with Friends

“Well, he certainly gets marks for enthusiasm,” Koz arched one sculpted eyebrow at the small screen. 

Ana giggled and narrowly avoided sending red wine over the edge of her glass and onto her laptop. After Nick had texted them about the Kiss Cam incident she'd put the game on in the background, just in case the camera panned back around to this Jack person he'd harassed into coming for dinner. Her husband was very good at friendly coercion. Koz and Sandy had been highly amused by his description of Aster's encounter. Unfortunately, while she and Kozmotis lingered in the kitchen and started on the wine, Sandy had been forced to retreat into the den to help a patient in crisis, missing the Kiss Cam repeat performance.

“You're going to be horrible about this, aren't you?” 

“Me?” he smirked. “Mmm, perhaps a little. I don't want to scare him off though. God knows Aster could stand to get laid.”

“Koz!” she slapped his arm lightly.

“It's true. He's been terribly wound up since Patrick. If he doesn't let off some of the tension soon he'll snap, again, and, while I'm sure it would be quite the show, I'd rather not run the risk of being the unfortunate victim.”

Well, Koz was right about that, she supposed. Aster had lost it a couple of weeks ago with Nick, a fortunate target because her husband was used to shrugging off drama and didn't take that sort of thing personally. Ana just didn't think casual sex would help. Aster had been living with Pat for nearly two years, after all, dating for longer, and they'd settled into a comfortable relationship groove that everyone had expected continue indefinitely. Aster had certainly thought so. He'd been poleaxed when Pat had broken it off to chase after their new neighbour and hadn't dated anyone since.

Of course, Kozmotis had never liked Patrick. He'd been almost gleeful about it in private and had helped Aster break the lease on the apartment without complaint. No one had expected Aster to stay across the hall from where his ex was shacking up with his replacement. 

Even Ana, who'd been fast friends with Pat, found his actions irredeemable. He'd actually had the gall to show up at Aster's new doorstep five months later, pathetically apologetic after the affair had fizzled, trying to twist everything around to put the blame at Aster's feet. That had squashed any sympathy she'd had left. Aster was intensely devoted when he connected with someone, for all the gruff exterior he presented. He'd drop everything for a friend in a pinch. You just had to ask. He wasn't any good at emotional nuance, no, but if Pat had felt neglected he would only have had to say so. 

Thankfully, nothing had come of it save for a broken vase and a noise complaint. There would be no reconciliation. Aster felt everything fiercely and his ability to hold a grudge was unparalleled. He still wouldn't be more than civil to Willie and that disagreement was nearly a decade old. 

“You know how he is though.”

“Yes. He can hardly be blamed for being gun shy. Still, if he gets swept up with this random Kiss Cam boy, well… it would be something. A little fun perhaps. He certainly has a lovely arse.”

“We're fun,” she protested, “but I take your point. I hope he's nice.”

“Oh, he's very nice,” Koz added lasciviously, “but I suppose we'll see what his personality is like when he gets here.”

Sandy sauntered in then, pressing a kiss to Koz's cheek and not-at-all-subtly stealing his glass.

“That's theft, you know. You're fortunate that I love you so dearly,” Koz signed as he spoke, his voice holding none of the true wrath that he was capable of conveying. Ana had seen him in action in a courtroom. It had given her chills.

Sandy gave him a sly look and returned the wine after a generous sip. 

There would only be the five of them tonight, now six with Jack. They often had more if any of Nick's co-workers joined them. Neither Phil or Tashi had been by since the birth of their third child a couple of weeks earlier. Everyone had helped fill the family's freezer with meals for a month as the due date had approached and now Ana was waiting an appropriate amount of time before descending with gifts and cuddles. The St. North children were all grown now, the youngest just off to university, so she had to get her fill where she could until grandchildren started arriving. She'd been hoping that Katherine would be the next source of baby cuddles, but her sister-in-law was happily busying herself with writing. 

That left Sandy, Koz, and herself to gossip in the kitchen and finish the first bottle of wine before Nick arrived home with Aster and Jack in tow. She was optimistic, even though Jack looked to be in his early to mid-twenties and Aster was almost halfway into his thirties, the youngest of their group but with what Sandy referred to as an “old soul”. 

< What do you think about Jack? >

< Not having met him yet? I don't know, but I think it would be good for Aster to get shaken out of his routine. Too much work. Too little play. > Sandy signed. Their friend's tendency to disappear into his studio had worsened considerably since the break-up. He was taking on more work than usual, certainly more than enough to avoid being a starving artist. Damn if he didn't try though. Nick had used the baseball game as an excuse to drag Aster into the sunlight and get him to eat, both at the game and after. 

Time drifted by while they chatted until she heard the tell-tale thumps of closing car doors outside. Koz and Sandy were signing something back and forth rapidly that Ana didn't quite catch when Nick came bursting in the front door. While the den was closed off, all that separated the kitchen from the sitting room was a wide half wall, so she didn't even have to stand to see the broad grin on his face.

“We are back!”

“Still as disproportionately loud as ever, I see,” Koz raised his glass to Nick who laughed.

“Kozmotis. Sandy!” Nick signed a greeting. He hadn't picked up as much sign as Ana and their daughters but he could manage enough to get by.

Aster emerged from behind Nick's bulk, toeing off his shoes. Jack came into view then as well, looking a bit sheepish and hesitant.

“Aster,” Koz stood now, smiling like a shark, “and who is this lovely young man?”

“Err, yeah. This is Jack,” Aster gestured and glared at Koz. “Met him at the game.”

“Yes. We enjoyed the broadcast immensely,” Koz purred. Both Jack and Aster coloured to match.

“Oh… ya saw that did ya?” Aster chuffed Nick on the shoulder as he went by. Nick chuckled and headed for the fridge. “Didn't think you were much for baseball.”

“Just the last few innings,” Ana chirped and zeroed in on Jack. He was so pale! Even more so than Nick, whose pink skin looked even lighter surrounded as he was by his darker skinned wife and girls. It was ironic that they were always the ones prodding him about sunscreen and heatstroke. “Come in! Come in. I'm Ana. Do you want something to drink? We have wine, lemonade, beer… I could make coffee if you'd like?”

“Uh, lemonade would be great.” 

Nick emerged with a beer for himself and Aster, who took it gratefully. They settled around the large dining table with a little awkwardness. Jack seemed all too aware of their attention. Fair skinned and almost pretty, he was quite the complement to Aster's more rugged look which was all shades of warm brown save for his eyes. Aster was often assumed to be Ana's brother when they were out together. Apparently, his mixed ancestry and her Indian ethnicity blurred together for a lot of people in their predominantly WASP town. They rarely bothered to correct anyone. He would always be Uncle to the girls anyway. Ana placed a tall glass of lemonade down in front of Jack.

“We've got half an hour at least before dinner, so why don't you tell us about yourself?”

“I for one would like to know about the foolish man who spurned you on live television,” Koz and Ana were signing as they spoke and Jack blinked in alarm.

“Umm, I don't know how to-” Sandy shook his head at him and signed his response.

“Don't worry,” Koz translated for his partner, “I have more than enough help. My name is Sanderson, but everyone calls me Sandy. My tall, dark, and- oh really.”

Ana and Aster laughed out loud when Koz stopped abruptly. Sandy cocked his head at his partner's frown, batting his eyes innocently.

“Nice try. My name is Kozmotis. Sandy and I are together. My tall, dark, and handsome,” he stressed, “to his short, light, and cute.” Sandy pouted, blonde curls bouncing, rather making Koz's point for him.

“Don't know why ya want to hear about that stuck up prick. You should ask Jack about his job.” Jack threw a grateful glance at Aster, who smiled awkwardly back. 

“Oh, what do you do?”

“I'm a counsellor-” Sandy clapped his hands together, startling Jack.

“What speciality?” came the translated question.

“Oh, umm, I have a Masters in Social Work. I mostly work with kids.”

“You must be fairly new in town. Ana is head of the mental health unit at Burgess Memorial Hospital. Sandy's a psychiatrist. He sees clients in person and online, consulting locally. I myself am a lawyer,” Kozmotis paused in his signing to polish off his wine. Ana took that as a cue to fetch the next bottle, a Malbec that Sandy favoured.

“Criminal Prosecutor. Koz is vicious,” Aster's approval of where Koz directed his wrath carried through the room. The man in question readily accepted the label as a compliment. Ana knew him to be remarkably efficient at cutting through the paperwork to determine whether cases were sound, and if they'd be better off plead down, dropped, or were ideal for him to metaphorically sink his teeth into. He'd been almost giddy during the last headlining trial he'd prosecuted, a serial rapist with an expensive defence counsel that Koz taken no small pleasure in eviscerating. 

“Huh, cool. I just started at the Lunanoff Outreach Centre a few months ago.” Topping up glasses with the bottle she'd retrieved, Ana reappraised the young man. The Lunanoff Centre was in a sketchy area serving at-risk youth that had nowhere else to go. They never had enough funding and regularly lost staff when they burnt out. 

Koz watched as Sandy signed and spoke, “The centre provides a lot of needed services. Manny works wonders to keep it afloat. I take some referrals from them, but with the shortage of mental health professionals in the area there's never enough time.” 

And wasn't that an understatement? Half of Ana's schedule lately seemed devoted to recruiting. She was desperate for another clinical psychologist at the moment.

“That's exactly why I moved here,” Jack jumped in and started talking animatedly. He was sweet. Eager and idealistic. Ana really hoped the job didn't grind him down the way it had others. It was good though. For all his issues, Aster was an optimist at heart too. 

As Jack continued, Ana nudged Aster with her foot under the table and he looked up questioningly. 

< He's cute, > she signed.

< Rack off, > he answered. Aster had adapted a sign for that particular flip off early on in his friendship with Sandy.

< She's right, > Sandy added, catching onto the silent exchange. 

< He's not that young! > Aster glowered indignantly.

< He's a good kisser then? You looked like you were enjoying yourself quite a bit. >

< It was a spur of the moment thing. >

< The second kiss too? > Sandy questioned.

< I- >

< It certainly looked enthusiastic to me. > Ana ignored Aster's fumbling response. < Jack practically crawled into his lap. >

< I wish I'd seen that! >

< Why were you even- >

< It was very passionate. Took them a while to come up for air. >

Aster threw up his hands and turned away from their teasing to clutch his beer. 

< Children, please. > Koz flung at them when Jack was distracted by a question from Nick. < Let the man have a drink or four before we interrogate him and we'll get much better results. >

Sandy and Ana giggled and refocused. This was going to be fun.


End file.
